The Northern Mercenary
by Tookietookietookie
Summary: Troy- the largest war in Greek history. Many people fought on those beaches. Mercenaries among them. This is the story of one such mercenary. The story of Troy from someone who is neither Trojan nor Greek but rather a Northern mercenary. Please R
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE- I do not own any of the characters bar Ekkaia, and this is merely my interpretation of the Trojan War. Also, I apologise immensly for any grammatical errors- it is unfourtunatly my weakest point and though I am trying to improve. Lastly, enjoy the story, and please feel free to give me feedback.**

**NOTE ON PRONUNCIATION OF EKKAIA- Ek-I-ah (I don't know phonetics so I apologise, but the e is the short e found in empty, the K is short and harsh ai is purely I and the final a is softer as if with a H following.)**

_The elderly woman sat staring at the fire with her clouded blinded eyes, her grey hair wispy fell around her aged face and her lips covered what few teeth she had left. Her once muscular body was now decrepit and her hands shook as she merely held a light bowl of soup. Around her sits an audience, eager to hear the story of the battle of far away Troy from an unknown perspective. They are eager to get an insight into the personalities of their heroes, and they believe that this aged woman can help them with this. She is older than any other person in the town, rumours say that she was born in the same year as Achilles, others say that she is the age of Paris, none-the-less these estimates place her age in the high 80's or 90's, an age unheard of by the people of the small Greek town of Ethos. The woman licks her cracked and bloodied lips and begins to talk, and to the great surprise of all around her, her voice is strong and steady, unlike her body, her voice has withstood the test of time. Now it begins to tell of the legend of Troy in a strange sarcastic tone, filled with bitterness, remorse, and even anger._

"This story is one that is difficult to tell for it has been told many times from many perspectives and each time done in a way that surprises me, for the details always seem exaggerated, nevertheless perhaps these embellishments make a good story, and mine will be so boring that it falls flat… We shall see in any case.

The sun set low that day- it sounds strange to hear that, but it truly did set lower than most days. It was a different colour too- a blood red with strange dark black streaks, as if to warn everyone about the evil that was to arise with the sun the next morning. The birds had a different sound, harsher and more urgent; it seemed that the entire world knew of the terrible thing that was approaching, all bar the humans that lived along the cliffs. The priests and priestesses, oracles and prophets who lived amongst it all knew nothing- ironic seeing as they made their living prophesizing doom and despair for others, they did not see their own end coming.

Priam was never terribly worried about the temples on the cliffs, they were sacred, and he assumed that the Greeks would respect this and not attack them. They were out of the way too, away from the beach and far from the city. He did, however- after almost constant nagging from his sister in law, who was worried about her daughter Briseis- send thirty mercenaries out to the temples to protect them should anything arise. Not 'real Trojan soldiers' no they were indispensable, but us, the hardened warriors who wandered the earth following the destruction of war, we would do to protect the ten temples spread along the cliffs. That left three mercenaries to each temple. Not a challenge against an army of thousands of Greeks…

In spite of that, we were not allocated evenly, some temples seen as more important than others were. The majority of our numbers were placed on Apollo's golden temple, ten of us. Two to Hera, two to Aphrodite, five to Ares- though you would assume the god of war could protect his own damned temple, two to Artemis, two to Demeter, two to Hephaestus, two to Dionysus, two to the child bearing goddess Eileithyia and then myself left to guard the dark, dreary temple of Hades.

We on the cliffs had seen the mass of ships round the spit and pass towards Troy. Priam had almost had us killed when we had presented ourselves before him asking to fight for him- for our price. Yet one of his sons, I forget his name and it is of little importance in any case, mentioned the need for the temples to have a few guards to ease the minds of the priests and such, and so Priam agreed, giving us a infinitesimal price for a seemingly menial task, protect something that will not be attacked.

I was sitting alone in the darkness staring at the embers of the fire, which had just died out attempting to convince myself to put some more firewood on quickly before the fire would not restart easily when I heard the whispers. I drew my blade silently- yes, it is possible to draw a blade without the sound of metal ringing out through the air, just place cloth around the top of the sheath- and stood, the blade hanging loosely in my hand as I stared out into the consuming darkness.

Hades' temple was set on the very edge of the cliff, as far away from the others as possible so as the keep them out of his 'evil' circle. Stupid, Hades isn't evil, but oh well, man is a trivial race that is not worth the effort to correct. I could just make out silhouettes in the distance at Hephaestus' temple, standing and waiting for an attack. Sure enough suddenly, there were cries in Greek and soldiers emerged from the darkness to attack the few mercenaries protecting the temples.

No one attacked Hades' temple. I did not leave my post. I did not like any of the other mercenaries in any case so their deaths at the hands of a far superior army did not bother me in the slightest. I sound harsh and cruel, but perhaps that is because I am now a bitter, twisted, and cynical person. Actually now that I consider the fact, I realise that I have always been this way, and perhaps that is why I became a mercenary in the first place. That, however, is not a discussion for here.

Compared to the other temples Hades' temple was small, made from black obsidian stone and containing only three rooms. One room of worship, one prophecy room and one room of sacrifice. There was a small hut set up for the priestesses (Hades only has priestesses) to sleep when they were not on duty. Perhaps I was set to guard this temple because I was female. Perhaps someone had found out that I worshipped death- though the personification of death for my people not the god of the underworld- or perhaps none of the others could bare to work with me. Whatever the reason I am thankful for it saved my life and gave me a few more years to live on this earth- this was seventy years ago remember? The screams of the priestesses of the other temples echoed through the night air as they were raped and pulled from there temples, the priests began yelling out curses as they were gruesomely slaughtered and the oracles, those drugged up young girls merely began chanting in their hallucinogenic states, talking of great evils- stupid bitches.

The entire time the priestesses of Hades stayed still and quiet where they were. There were no lights lit in the temple so there was nothing to tell the Greeks that they had missed one. Though attacking the temple of the god of the dead would most likely have seemed a waste of time to them, weird considering Hades is not god of death but of the underworld, including all gems and jewels found beneath the ground. Again, I am becoming sidetracked, whatever the reason, the Greeks attacked, sacked and burnt every temple bar Hades' and then left, dragging their newly captured once virgin priestesses along behind them as they screamed and kicked. I was sure that we had survived and was now annoyed that I would have to return to Troy with the priestesses under my care and take them to safety and tell Priam that his 'great' plan had failed and that all temples were destroyed. It was lucky that Athena's temple was inside the city or I feel that many more would have died in that attack. Both Greek and Trojan.

I attempted to force the priestesses to leave, stupid me, they did not fear death but were rather turned on by the idea. For then they would be shown great privileges in the after life as a reward for serving Hades so diligently. Priestesses always were beyond my understanding. Therefore, with a disgruntled sigh I repacked my belongings onto my mount, a large stocky black war horse by the name of Hades, (ironic much?) and took an all too leisurely lope to the secret entrance into Troy. Where I was admitted with confusion and taken immediately to see the all mighty, all knowing, decrepit King Priam.

"MERCENARY! WHY DO YOU RETURN HERE TO US? WE CAN SEE THE FLAMES FROM OUR TEMPLES!" Priam's son, again his name eludes me, screeched. I stared and raised an eyebrow,

'I come to tell you that all men and warriors are slain and all women are taken as slaves. Every item of value ripped from its place and stolen and the temples burned to the ground, all barring the temple I was guarding- Hades. I have come to receive my payment for keeping the temple safe and then will, with your kindness, be on my way. This war is too grand and too much, I live by wars but this one is insane. I do not want to die in THIS war. So, good King, my payment, and I will be all to pleased to be out of your sight.'

Surprisingly the king did not enjoy being spoken to this way and was prompt to throw me from the city with no pay.

Therefore, I found myself stuck on the plains between Troy and the large Greek army. That was great fun. The Trojans above taunting me and shooting arrows around me trying to scare me. I merely continued to walk leading my horse- thankfully they hadn't attempted to steal him from me in there dishonorable act of cowardice.

There was little that I could do but head for the Greek camp and hope that I received a better reception there. In order to assure myself that this was true I put on my traveling cloak and ensured that I looked the part of a mercenary, menacing and terrifying as possible for someone of my height- 5 feet and 3 inches. I know, I was not privileged with a warrior's body or frame, does not matter in the end, I still do well enough in battle- no one ever said that battle had to be conducted in an honorable way.

I arrived at the Greek camp mounted on my horse without my helmet on, so that those who looked upon me would see the mercenary tattoos that cut up my face. Three blades of black from my hair line across my right eye to my jaw, cutting up my face. One man strode forward and stood in my path, staring at me with less fear and admiration than the others did. I stopped my mount and looked down at him; he was a Myrmidon, wearing the garb of a Myrmidon soldier of higher rank. His hair greasy and black sat to his shoulders, his frame large and wide, and his stance that of a seasoned foot soldier, the only interesting thing about him was his eyes, a piercing ice blue. Those eyes seemed to cut me to the core and in the back of my mind, a story told to me by a Myrmidon mercenary sprang to my mind.

'Achilles the Myrmidon ruler is the greatest warrior to ever have walked this planet, son of the sea nymph Thetis and the god Zeus, he is terrifying and awe inspiring, but his tactics, no, without his second in command, the quiet, blue eyed ghost Eudorus, he would be merely a good fighter. It is Eudorus who makes Achilles the great leader that he is; it is Eudorus who really leads the Myrmidons.' I had this to my advantage, I knew who the man in front of me was, and he knew nothing about me.

'Eudorus, I wish to speak to Agamemnon, please send me in the right direction.'

I said, my strange Northern accent sending a strange ripple through the growing mass of people around me. Eudorus' eyes gave away his surprise at being called his first name but apart from that, his resolve did not waver.

'Agamemnon? Why would a mercenary seek out Agamemnon? Would you not rather fight for the greatest army amongst the Greeks? The Myrmidons? Or do you already realise that we are above you?'

I smiled a cold calculating smile and gave a slight indication of a nod,

'I merely wish to fight for the man with the most money to offer me, who I fight amongst means nothing to me, I fight for myself not for the men around me. I fight for gold and wealth, Myrmidons can not offer me this, can they?'

This question at the end sent a chuckle through Agamemnon's men that were watching as they all agreed that he was the only man, along with perhaps Menelaus, who had money to appease a Northern mercenary.

Eudorus was about to speak when a harsh voice over spoke him,

'WHAT IS THIS?'

I knew not the voice and as the young, tanned man with light brown hair wearing nothing but a warriors kilt stepped from the masses I knew not who I was speaking too- not until he eyed me up the way he did, lingering too long on my breasts and bared stomach- Achilles. He looked at me and chuckled, a cruel chuckle that would have sent a chill up the spine of many a man,

'What, a mercenary here with the Greeks? I thought mercenaries preferred to stay behind the golden walls of Troy- the richest city in the world. Am I sorely mistaken for thinking that all mercenaries are cowardly, cut throat villains who would kill there own family for a shiny bit of dirt?'

I smiled, I knew that this would surprise him, I had heard those words so often that by now they merely rolled off me.

'I will fight for the Myrmidons for free if so the good lord Achilles would allow it.'

I still to this day know not why I said that, I regret it in some ways. The war lasted ten years, and the pay that I could have received over that time would have ensured me an early retirement from mercenary works and would have allowed me to set up my own armory, but that was not to be, for Achilles smiled and said,

'Beat Eudorus in a duel to first blood and you have your wish mercenary.'

I dismounted, my horse left at the back of the large crowd that had gathered, female mercenaries were as fabled as the Amazons were, only they were more… friendly with men so therefore we were better liked. I looked to Achilles,

'Any specific weapon that I should use?'

Achilles shrugged an almost annoyed shrug.

'I don't care. Short sword with shield like Eudorus to make it fair I suppose.'

I nodded and looked around at the Myrmidon warriors watching and spied the shortest one, a short squat balding man with sweaty palms and hairy arms. I walked forward to him and smiled, for my own part, my appearance is often a blessing, without the tattoos I was once compared to Helen, and so convincing the lonely man to lend me his shield and sword was no challenge to me at all. I swung the sword and cracked my jaw as I turned to face Eudorus. I wore my usual outfit, but in this circle of men who had been on boats for six or so long months, I felt uneasy at my skintight leather leggings and bared stomach. My hair, a light blonde sat at my shoulders a straight fringe lined my deep sea green eyes and my delicate ski jump nose splattered with its freckles drew to much unwanted male attraction and almost threw me off my game.

I will not bore you with the details of the fight, mainly because I do not remember them clearly. I did not win in two moves like I so desired, Eudorus was better than that, it was fifteen minutes before I picked up his pattern and made a precise slice along his cheek bone, in a less than honorable series of steps, but to my surprise there were no calls of foul play. Therefore, I won the duel and in doing so, I secured myself a place in the Myrmidon lines. After beating his second in command Achilles showed little admiration for me and little disappointment in his man, he merely shrugged and left me to Eudorus.

The dark haired man sighed and gave me a sideways smile that seemed to make his aging face crack in two. I, in complete shock about what I had just done stared at him. He laughed and shook his head,

'You didn't want to work for no money did you? That was your ego speaking…'

He stated more than asked this, so I did not reply I merely changed the subject.

'I beat you, so does that mean I'm second in charge now?'

Eudorus laughed,

'You don't become second in charge by being the best fighter, you have to be able to inspire the men and lead them well. You have to be trusted by Achilles and know the men so well that you can predict what each one will do in any situation- if it were just down to fighting skills I may have been replaced when I turned thirty. Follow me, I'll show you our part of the camp. In addition, if it is not too much of a hassle, I would rather like to know your name. Achilles and the men will only call you mercenary but I make a point of calling everyone by their real name.'

I looked at him surprised; I had not said my name in years, five years to be exact. Mercenary had been all that I was called by anyone. The name was hard to say I found, it rang of a person who no longer existed, an innocent young girl who once lived in the land of the snow and amber. However, I told Eudorus my name, and perhaps this is where all the trouble started, with me confiding that seemingly insignificant detail with the strange man.

'Ekkaia, my name is Ekkaia.'


	2. Chapter 2

I was led through the massive throng of warriors towards the far side of the beach and to the Myrmidon camp. The ship had been transformed into a barracks of sorts- not for sleeping but as storage for food, weapons and everything else. There was but one hut erected- Achilles no doubt. The other men seemed to sleep in groups of ten or twenty around fires of varying sizes. I stared at this set up strangely but said nothing. Being a mercenary, I had been spoiled into always sleeping in a room in an inn when in town, and only slept under the stars when I was traveling by night and had to sleep outside. Although I did not ask for an explanation, I did not care for the traditions of the Myrmidons, Eudorus told me anyway.

'Each group is a unit. Ten to the older more experienced groups, twenty to the less experienced groups. They live, sleep, eat, and die together. You can stay with me up here if you so desire, otherwise find yourself a spot, and build your own fire.'

The thought of collecting firewood bored me so I followed him to his fire, a small way off where he slept alone and left my horse there, removing his gear and placing it in a pile while I left Hades to stand and roam about to chew the grass.

'Thank you.'

I said, the words sticking in my throat, they were so foreign to me that I had trouble using them, but a hint of the past urged me to use manners. Eudorus gave an eccentric smile and nodded.

'That's okay. Make yourself at home; you will see fairly easily when we are readying ourselves for battle.'

He turned to leave but froze and glanced over his shoulder, 'I don't see any armour on you- where is it?' I laughed and smiled, a friendly smile, something that I had not done in years,

'I have none. I fight in hardened leather mostly, armour just becomes a nuisance, restricts movement.'

I could see him fight inside himself to tell me that what I was doing was not safe but he merely nodded and continued away.

I sat there alone for a long time- day passed into night and I merely sat alone cleaning and preparing my weapons for battle. I fought with 'strange and foreign weapons' or so I was told. I fought with a mace, with a large spiked ball on the end- for when I fought alone. A bastard sword that was almost as long as I was tall for battles with space, I used a two and a half sword for horseback battles and for close quarter fighting- the type of fighting at Troy I used two curved blades- scimitars given to me as part of my payment by the Sheik of somewhere for protecting his daughter. Masterfully crafted and amazingly sharp they proved to be the greatest weapons I had ever seen.

I was cleaning them and sharpening them when Eudorus returned and sat opposite me, two bowls of stew in his hand.

'You have not moved all day Ekkaia; do you not wish to get to know those that you fight amongst?'

I shook my head, still unused to someone calling me by my real name,

'I don't care who I'm fighting around, that knowledge means that I may form some opinion towards them, and then I will not be able to fight to my best. I may like someone as a person and if that happens, I will become upset if they are killed. I prefer not to care, so that I may focus solely on the task at hand.'

I knew that what I said was harsh and almost inhumane, but that was how I had found it easiest to live, alone. I desperately wanted a companion to share my days with, humans are after all pack animals, but the few people that I had known had always been killed around me and the grief that I had felt had been too much to bare. I resolved to live purely as a mercenary with no social life or care for the rest of my race. Eudorus shook his head in shock staring at me in surprise,

'How old are you Ekkaia?'

He was the first person I knew that could make me feel so isolated and unprotected with a simple question,

'Is it of any matter to you?'

I asked defensively, scolding myself for being so harsh to the man who was trying to reach out to me, Eudorus seemed to take no notice of my rudeness.

'It is of no matter other than curiosity. Although you act strong and pretend to be mature, I feel that you are only young. Appearance is difficult to use as a guide for your body is… fit, strong, that of a warrior and yet somehow you remain feminine, which makes me think that you are still young and only newly to this line of work not a seasoned warrior. Your face, though covered by your hair and tattoos and scars is soft and free of lines… I see you to be no older than twenty-five at the most.'

I stared at him, not knowing how to react.

'I'm twenty-two.'

I said, unable to think of any more to say in response to Eudorus' discriminatory evaluation of myself. Eudorus shook his head,

'That is young to be so cold and calculating. You started mercenary work when you were how old?'

I sighed and put down my sword and looked at Eudorus.

'I was eighteen when I decided to become a mercenary.'

I knew that he expected more information about the strange choice of a career but I could not bring myself to tell a stranger my story- not yet. I expected at this stage for Eudorus to give up on asking me about myself. Instead, he moved closer towards me, and handed me a second bowl of stew that he had.

'You should eat Ekkaia- try the stew. It is good.'

I took the bowl from him astounded and ate, the glorious taste of hot food melting in my mouth as I realised that I had not eaten in two days. I swallowed and looked to Eudorus-

'How old are you, Eudorus?'

It was a cheeky question and I knew this, but I did not expect the large booming laugh that came from Eudorus upon my asking him.

'I'm thirty-seven, and beginning to feel the past twenty-two years of fighting take its toll on my body. So many old injuries that all form together in painful knots and cramps.'

He chuckled and smiled at me,

'So you were fifteen when you first began fighting?'

I asked shocked at the young age. Eudorus nodded,

'I started as a horseback messenger and scout at the age of fifteen yes. I was not allowed to be a foot soldier until I had stopped growing and had developed enough muscle mass- that was when I was eighteen. Never before have I felt such exhilaration as when I marched into my first battle. I was twelve when I made my first kill, but as a scout and messenger, I made no kills. Therefore, I knew not how I would handle the power of having another person's life in my hands and knowing that I was the one to end the weaving threads of their lives and cut them short. I do not like to kill, but the power, the adrenalin is something so addictive that I do not know how warriors can retire. It is more of a narcotic to me than anything I have ever tried.'

I chuckled at this because I knew the feeling well. I swallowed before speaking,

'In my country we call it bloodlust.'

Eudorus tilted his head sideways and looked at me in surprise,

'Was that just spoken without any remorse, bitterness, contempt, and hatred?'

I laughed and looked at him in shock,

'It was though now I'm beginning to think that may have been a mistake!'

Eudorus laughed and shook his head,

'Do you drink Ekkaia? There is some good ale being served at the moment.'

I nodded and Eudorus left to fetch two mugs of ale, and in the back of my head a voice began crying to be noticed, warning me about what I was doing- I pushed it aside and silenced it.

It was much later, the fire had been stoked and almost all the firewood had disappeared, Eudorus and I had gone through almost an entire barrel of ale to ourselves and Eudorus again asked me of my life before being a mercenary,

'How, I mean why does such a beautiful young woman become a mercenary, I have trouble understanding why you would decide to have such a career.'

I could tell that this upset him, not knowing about my past and so, in my intoxicated state revealed to him the past, which I had never told another living creature. I sniffed and stared into the flickering flames and I realised that my voice took on a haunted, hollow tone- it was the only way that I could tell my story for to my great surprise the pain still burnt up inside me as I thought back.

'My home, I have not seen it since I left, is about a six or so months journey north. It snows very frequently. My mother and father were well to do in society; father was the head warrior. I was betrothed to a man from a neighboring village, their finest warrior, and a man that I had known almost all my life. I loved him dearly. He went out on a hunting party the day before our wedding to fetch a stag for the banquet. Some Sumerian raiders were lurking nearby and attacked the small party- killing everybody, including my betrothed and my betrothed's best friend- my younger brother.

I have never felt such cold aloneness as I did that day when I heard the news… Women in my village are taught to fight so that they may protect themselves against invaders, so I took weapons and my fathers best mount, as much gold as I deemed necessary and went in search of the raiders. I found them sleeping, there were ten of them. I killed the three scouts and then silently as possible slit the throats of those who slept. I took from their bodies that which belonged to my brother, betrothed, and left the bodies there. I continued riding south, stopping in towns to do the odd jobs and then one day I was hired as a mercenary. I have been one ever since.'

Eudorus for once did not have a reply to my tale, the pair of us sat in silence staring at the leaping flames in front of us and contemplating our morality. I let out a long sigh and tilted my head sideways to look at Eudorus.

'Do you have a bride Eudorus?'

I asked, and regretted the question immediately for Eudorus' head fell forward and he placed his large, worn hands over his face to hide his pain. I knew not how to react, I placed my shaking hand on his large shoulder, hoping that the light comforting gesture would help him; he reached over with his furthest hand and clasped mine tightly. He sat up and ran his free hand through his hair,

'I apologise. I do not have a bride. I had a lover once- a long time ago. When I was still a normal soldier, only nineteen in fact. I had met her when delivering a message to a village. A simple peasant girl with charming yet plain looks. Brown hair tied in a plait; she worked for the farmer caring for the cattle. She was with child, my child, when I left to fight the Thracians one day, I kissed her forehead as she slept and left. The Thracians, they never met us on the battlefield, confused the army uneasily stood at the plains trying to understand why they had not shown up when one of our men turned around and noticed the smoke… The Thracians had snuck past us the night before and once we had left the village, they had attacked it, raping and killing all the women and children and hanging them from the eaves of the buildings while they set fire to everything… My lover had her stomach cut open and our son was ripped from her, then they hung her from the building and let her bleed to death… My son, alive somehow after being ripped from his mother was thrown to the hounds and ripped apart… We chased the Thracians down and killed every one of them with such anger and contempt but it did not take any of the pain away…'

Here Eudorus paused, as if unable to go on, his hand still clasped mine and he was shaking violently,

'I have not taken a woman to my bed since. Since that day I have never looked at another woman in a way as to have her as my own.'

Here he released my hand and took a long swig of his ale, I felt cold and upset by the story,

'I'm sorry to hear that you have had to endure such a painful experience.'

Was all that I could say, Eudorus smiled at me, I nearly died in shock to see the man smile after sharing such a story,

'Thank you Ekkaia, I too am sorry for what you have had to live through. Though it seems the gods love to test us and make our lives painful, all we can do is live to the best of our abilities and prove to them that nothing they can do can stop us from living our lives.'

I gave a small smile and raised my mug,

'That I will drink to.'

Eudorus laughed and we raised our mugs together before drinking deeply from our mugs of ale.

A light rain woke me the next morning, I groaned as my head began to protest about the excessive amounts of alcohol consumed the previous night and I sat up groggily, and looked around. The remains of the fire were at my feet and there was no sign of Eudorus. My horse stood nearby chewing some hay that had been given to him and the sounds of the Greeks going about there day bought a searing pain to my already sore head. I stood up and shook my head before looking around; I spied Eudorus close by and strode up to him.

'Morning.'

I said to him, he raised an eyebrow and looked at me,

'Afternoon Ekkaia.'

He said, I snorted and glanced upwards at the sun,

'Is not. I say it's around ten.'

He laughed and smiled,

'About that. What can I do for you this morning?'

He asked, emphasizing the morning part, I smiled,

'I was wondering if there was anything that I could help with or do, there is nothing I need to do and I don't particularly like being bored.'

Eudorus crossed his arms and leant back on one leg to look at me quizzically,

'A mercenary that wants to do work; now I have seen everything. I believe that at the moment we are about to start readying ourselves for battle. Go and get ready and then return to me so that I can inform you about where you will be fighting.'

I nodded and returned to my gear to ready myself for battle.

Eudorus' campsite was set on top of the hill in order for him to be able to watch his men. That was great for him but with me needing to change into my fighting gear, as confident and large ego-ed as I was, I would not change before an entire Greek army. Therefore, I grabbed my gear and vaulted on my horse to gallop to the other sides of the dunes. Here I removed the strip of leather that I had tied around my breasts and pulled on my white cloth blouse, putting my hardened leather vest over the top, tightening it about myself whilst whistling a tune I did not know. I then pulled on my knee length leather shoes over my skin like leather trousers, doing up the laces on those, and standing happily. Next I pulled on my elbow length gloves, with their hardened knuckles and finally picked up my helmet, a bronze helmet of oval shape with a pointed helm and a nose piece that was a horses head, a stream of horse hair streamed from the top and it made me every part the warrior I so desired to be inside. I repacked my belongings, all my special items being carefully wrapped in cloth, placed in the bag ever so gently, and cantered back to Eudorus' fire to leave my stuff. My two curved blades crossed in their harness across my back and a stolen short sword shoved in my sheath. I sighed and patted my horse, realising that it would have to be left behind and, with helmet in hand, went off in search of Eudorus.

He was fully armed, his helmet sitting loosely in his hand resting on his hip as he ordered the men about. 'Eudorus.'

I said politely as I watched the men organize themselves. Eudorus glanced at me and frowned,

'No shield?'

I shook my head. I knew that this would come up sooner or later, I wore no metal protection bar my helmet and with the Greeks that always posed a dilemma as they rode out to battle with metal chest plates, greaves, bucklers, helmets and more.

'After this battle we are getting the blacksmith to make you fitted bronze armor to match your helmet. Light, but strong enough to deflect arrows and such.'

The tone in his voice left nothing up to question- that was a statement not an option. I sighed but said nothing, I bowed my head defeated and wiped under my nose- it was itchy from the sand that was being kicked up by the soldiers. There was no wind, the day was so hot that I could have sworn that I could smell Agamemnon begin to cook in his huge armour. I waited patiently for Eudorus as he began lining up his men, leaving his spot at the front vacant.

'Ekkaia! You fight here by me. Achilles feels the need to keep an eye on you- fears you'll betray us for gold.'

His voice was cold and filled with a strange sound I had not heard before, I bit my lip but said nothing, pulling on my helmet and lining up, I knew that I looked amazingly out of place in brown amongst the black and silver of Achilles' Myrmidons.

It was not long after this that we began our long march out towards the plains where we intended to meet the Trojans in battle. We could not get too close to the city walls for then the Trojans would be able to shoot us with their arrows- like the cowardly dogs they were. All we could hope for was that they were as eager for a fight as we were and that they too would send an army out to meet us on this fine day.

Sure enough, when we reached the plains there in front of us stretched the Trojan army. Foot soldiers first, than chariots and the mounted equestrians lined at the back. The army that the Trojans had massed was huge- yet it was dwarfed by the combined Greek army. The centre was Agamemnon's men, and two their left Ajax's with us Myrmidons on the right. I care not where anyone else was, nor do I actually know. All I know is that never before have I felt so small and insignificant, never before have I realised how small a part I play in this world… Although a mercenary for the past five years, my experience with battles only consisted in small battles, never amounting to more than 500 soldiers combined so to stand amongst this mass – it chilled me to the bone.

The battle began and I knew not what was going on, I was overwhelmed. The large armies raced forwards and I was caught up in the flow of soldiers. The fight was… bad. There was no room for skill and so it came down to brute strength, as the two armies slugged out against each other. I have never fought worse in my life. It was not long before I was bleeding from many wounds and stumbling about on my leg, which was now numb. I sliced through the throat of a man in front of me and glanced down to see a broken off spear sticking out of my leg. I blinked and shook my head, the blood loss beginning to make me feel ill. I knew not how much longer I could last and I began to realise that I was a poorly qualified mercenary in terms of large battles. I was more for retrieving objects or evening out fields of about 20. I was not good for fighting in a war so large that almost the entire population was involved. I stumbled over a dead body and fell forward, a heavy, darkness overtaking me as I lay on the ground, which was wet from blood. The sand was a strange reddish orange and the sun was hot on my back as I lay face first on the ground. A shadow let me know that someone stood over me, I rolled over and stared up at the attacker with pained eyes, it was Hector. He stared down at me with a snarl on his face, raising his foot and slamming it into my head, knocking me unconscious…

I awoke in a blaze of pain. I could not fully identify from where the most intense pain was coming so I assumed that I was about to die. My eyes opened and I stared blearily out at the tent around me. I could smell the sickness and knew immediately I was in the hospital. I sat up groggily and stared down to see some shoddy bandage work. Obviously I wasn't important enough to be looked after well, I was curious as to why I was being looked after at all. The blood was seeping through the bandages so I pulled myself up dragging my painfully numb leg behind me to grab some more bandages; I sat down and began redoing them. As I was doing this I could hear some voices, Achilles and Eudorus.

'Why did you bother to bring her back Eudorus? The mercenary isn't important- you should have left her out there to die.'

Achilles sounded angrier than he usually was, but that was not a surprise as I already knew that he felt little apathy towards me. What surprised me was what I heard next.

'She's only young Achilles! I won't leave a young woman out on that field to die in a puddle of her own blood from heat and blood loss purely because we couldn't be bothered to help her! She's a sound fighter, I don't know what happened out there, I'll give her some tips and next time she'll be fine.'

I could almost see the look of utter shock on Achilles face, Eudorus often spoke up against his leader in private, but never before in public like this. I myself was shocked that Eudorus would care enough to have saved me from the fate which he had described. I stood on my legs shakily and walked out of the hospital and found that the pair was standing outside the door. I looked from Achilles to Eudorus and cleared my throat,

'I'm sorry about err… the fight.'

I knew not how long I had been unconscious. I sniffed, the embarrassment burning into me as neither of them spoke but merely stared at me,

'It won't happen again.'

I ventured lamely, cursing myself for how badly I had fought. Achilles shook his head,

'You are right, it will not happen again because I am not letting you fight. You are a weakness to my army. Instead you will look after our wounded and ensure that my cousin Patroclus does not disobey me by trying to sneak off to the battle. Is that understood mercenary?'

I nodded solemnly,

'Good, you are lucky that you have people here that are fond of you, should it have purely been up to me you would be in Hades right now.'

With that he turned and left me standing there in shame. I stared at the ground and was shocked to feel Eudorus place his hand on my shoulder,

'How are you feeling?'

he asked his voice quiet and calm, reassuring in its soft gruffness.

'I'm fine. A little sore but I suppose that that is to be expected after that shocking performance…'

I trailed off unable to make as much of a joke from the situation as I had wished to, Eudorus chuckled none-the-less.

'You are alive, and in that you have done better than many others did last week.'

I stared at him in shock, had I been out for a week? He noticed my look and smiled kindly,

'You've been in a fever for five days Kaia, but you have pulled through.'

I felt a strange feeling in my stomach as he called me Kaia, a nickname; he had given me a pet name. A slight fear flashed in Eudorus' eyes and he walked away after telling me to return inside where I was sheltered from the sun. For once I did as I was told.

I was sitting on the hospital cot reading a piece of parchment given to me by my mother when Eudorus next entered. I could tell the day outside had been hot and was thankful for the coolness of the tent. Eudorus handed me some fresh fruit- although I am unsure of how he came about it in the first place. He sat on the ground and we ate the glorious fruit in silence I sighed and looked to him, slowly taking in the older man, attempting to discover why he was being so nice to me, and wondering what I would be entitled to do in return.

'How are you feeling?'

Eudorus asked quietly without looking away from his fruit, I smiled,

'Well. Thank you, the physicians tell me that you brought me in here, that you saved my life.'

Eudorus shrugged,

'I didn't want…'

Here he paused and looked at me, standing and stroking my hair with his hand,

'I did not want to lose you.'

He gave a small sad smile and then left the tent. I sat and stared at the spot where the man had stood and shook my head. Pushing aside the thoughts that had sprung to my mind upon him saying such a thing and I returned to my fruit."

_The woman stopped talking here and pulled her cloak tighter around her body. She knew that no one realised that she was finished._

_'Get up and leave! It is late my bones are heavy, my body weary and my throat hoarse. I will continue this story tomorrow. Off with you!'_

_Slowly, without much enthusiasm the large crowd dissipated and the old woman wandered back into her home to sleep._


	3. Chapter 3

_When the old woman awoke the next morning she could feel the strong icy fingers of death grasping around her neck. She shrugged them off and struggled to get out of bed, falling heavily to the ground in the process. Her granddaughter rushed into the room and helped her up,_

_'Grandma-ma you should be careful. This is too much of a strain on you. Come, stay in bed today.' _

_The once strong mercenary shrugged off her younger relation and shook her head,_

_'I'll go and die when I'm damn well ready! Help me outside I have a story to share.'_

_This time the crowd was larger, many people having come to see the survivor of the Trojan War and hear her story. Ekkaia sat on a large deep wooden chair, covered in rugs and picked up her story where she had left it off, her aging voice still strong, carrying to the back of the large crowd._

"When I awoke the next morning I could feel that I was stronger than I had been the day before and I pulled myself out of the hospital cot and walked outside. I found my horse still in the same area, though he had been cared for and I began searching for my bags. I eventually found them stowed among Eudorus' bags and pulled them out, grabbing a loose cotton shirt and cotton trousers and changing into them behind the dunes. I pulled on the leather vest and went in search of Eudorus- though I had little reason to actually search out the man; I liked his company and wanted to spend time with him.

Instead of finding Eudorus I came across some Ithacans playing mind games, in the middle of the group was Odysseus, quickly putting an end to anyone who played against him. I stood fascinated by the strange game and Odysseus saw this and spoke out to me,

'MERCENARY! COME HERE!'

It sounds harsh but he said it in a light hearted way so I obeyed, ever worried and cautious for I knew that Odysseus had a cunning mind that rivaled the gods. I stood before him and looked at him,

'Have you ever played before?'

He asked gesturing to the game before him, I shook my head and he frowned.

'I will teach you then, take a seat.'

I obeyed and he began to tell me the rules and aims of the game.

'You choose to either be the raiders or the royal guard. The raiders are outnumbered by the guards and begin in the middle of the board with the guards lining up around the edges, though not on these different coloured squares- they are safe zones. Each piece can only move one at a time, and the aim is to jump the opposition- which can only be done when they have no one on either side, for if you jump them they are dead. The raiders are able to hide in these shaded squares safely, and attack from there. The guards have no shelter. If the larger raider piece is killed the game is over for this leaves the raiders leaderless and they fall apart. Do you understand?'

I nodded, the game was straight forward enough. A simple cloth with squares drawn on to it and the playing pieces were squares- black obsidian for the raiders and white ivory for the guards. Odysseus smiled and gestured opposite him,

'Come, take a seat and we shall play.'

Although I understood the game quiet well playing it was a different matter and in a very short amount of time Odysseus' guards had rounded up all of my raiders. We started again and I played as the guards but again Odysseus beat me. He gave a booming laugh and I realised that there was no hope in beating him. So I chuckled along and decided to swap with a nearby Ithacan to see if I could play better against someone else.

It was many hours later when I finally beat someone at this strange game, I was so excited that I leapt up into the air and pumped my fists, a large grin on my face. I saw it then- the look of shock on everyone's faces and I felt fear creep into me, Odysseus stood quickly and strode over to me, taking my arm and leading me away.

'I'm sorry, I didn't realise that I wasn't allowed to win.'

I said quietly, ashamed that I had acted such a way. To my surprise Odysseus stared at me in confusion.

'What?'

He asked, and I shrugged and looked away,

'Nothing.'

I mumbled quietly and Odysseus continued to pull me along towards the beach.

'What is it?'

I asked annoyed, and beginning to feel the intense pain in my injured leg take a hold of me,

'You! You are no normal person, you're face markings are they permanent?'

He asked, almost leaning forward to rub them off, I leant backwards and looked at him skeptically,

'They stay on for a long time but will eventually fade away, I did not get real ones for fear I would need to become an undercover assassin for a job.'

Odysseus then promptly threw me into the water, I came back up spluttering and stared at him in anger but he merely grabbed a cloth and began rubbing vigorously at my face. I squirmed and kicked out, managing to push him off but knew that by this stage the marks would have been smudged half down my face. So I snatched the cloth off him and began cleaning my face myself.

When I did I turned to him and flicked back my hair, staring at him meaningfully with me sea green eyes and to my surprise he stared, almost in shock at me. I ran an aggravated hand over my face and sniffed, getting upset and emotional, I had not removed the markings in my 5 years as a mercenary, re-doing them carefully every morning and now I felt naked without them.

'You, you… you're beautiful.'

Odysseus muttered shaking his head and beginning to laugh. I raised an eyebrow and let out a sigh of exasperation,

'What? Does that have anything to do with anything?'

I snapped angrily.

I knew that my features were beautiful to the Greeks, they were delicate and womanly and yet strong enough to captivate a man and leave him dumbfounded. Greeks in particular found them ensnaring as to them I was foreign and strange, I had a beauty that they had not seen before- much like Helen. Helen, I had seen her once, looked beautiful, yes I admitted that, but amongst the Trojans she was merely a pretty face, nothing extraordinary, for the Trojans were all beautiful people. That was why I took appearance and beauty with a grain of salt. I did not believe that any one person was beautiful to everyone. I did not like the idea of judging someone purely on there appearance. That was why all those years ago I had first used the black ink to hide my face from the world- so that I may be taken seriously.

Now as I stood on the beach exposed I felt cold and scared, wrapped my arms about myself and went to walk off but Odysseus grabbed me,

'No- where are you going?'

I stared at him,

'Away to re-do my ink.'

He shook his head and gently reached out, stroking my cheek as if to check that I was real and not a figment of his imagination. I dared not pull back for fear of insulting him but I quivered, anxiously waiting for him to stop,

'Do you not see? You can end all of this!'

I stared at him in shock, utter confusion on my face.

'I don't understand…'

Odysseus smiled one of his smiles, and I felt a cold numbness race through my body.

'What is it?'

I forced, hoping that he would answer and that the answer would not be one that I did not like,

'We are here to retrieve the most beautiful woman in all of Greece so that Menelaus shall have her as his bride- why bother if she is not the most beautiful?'

I frowned and shook my head,

'But Menelaus demands a wife in return, I think that he cares little of her status as the most beautiful woman in all of Greece.'

Odysseus smiled and chuckled to himself,

'You have brains as well I see- a woman that I could grow to admire. Perhaps I will- as you take the place of Menelaus' bride in place of Helen.'

A rising knot formed in my throat and all breath left my body, I stared and began to shake my head, I backed away from Odysseus and stared at him with fear in my eyes.

'No. No I won't, I will not do it!'

The fear quickly subsided and my logic returned,

'Besides, Menelaus will not care if I arrive and say- Hi, I'm more beautiful than Helen marry me and lets head home!'

I shouted this last part with anger, the idea was so stupid that I could not believe that the great Odysseus had concocted this plan.

'This war was never about Helen Odysseus, she is merely a scape goat for the egos of the Greek Kings. To try and cover up the fact that the most beautiful woman in all of Greece was more taken by a Trojan shepherd boy than by the great Greek King Menelaus- this war has nothing to do with neither the sanctity of marriage nor the betrayal of a guest in the Spartan household! It is all to do with pride and ego and with the chance of expanding the Greek empire so that Agamemnon may rule the East as well as the West and completely dominate the Aegean! Love and Honour play no part in this war Odysseus, those are traits that man has long been bereft of, I sometimes doubt if they have ever existed.'

I looked at him and saw his crestfallen face but he nodded,

'I'm sorry. I wish only to return to Ithaca- to my wife and son. I know that it will not happen so everyday I try so hard to find a reason to head home but I cannot. Once the idea of replacing Helen came to my mind I could not let it go.'

I sighed but nodded in acceptance of his apology and began walking back towards the camp.

When I returned nearly all of the activity in the camp stopped and I felt the attention of every man on me, I gave my most menacing glare and cursed my looks- why I could not be born plain was beyond me for that would have made my life all the more simple. Achilles marched forward and growled,

'GET BACK TO WORK THE LOT OF YOU!'

He snapped angrily, grabbing me by the arm and wrenching me into his tent. I pulled from his grip and looked at him angrily; I no longer had any patience left and knew that this encounter was going to be a painful and dangerous one.

'Look at you.'

Achilles snarled, running his hand across my cheek,

'Get lost.'

I snapped back, flicking his hand away but Achilles would not be deterred, he grabbed my arms and held them behind my back, pressing his muscular body up against mine, his face centimeters from my own,

'Who would have believed that a mercenary could come out as beautiful as this?'

I struggled to get out of his grip, however; he was too strong and there was no chance for me to save myself from his ensnaring arms.

'What do you want Achilles?'

I said with the annoyance evident in my voice.

'Well, now that you're asking…'

He said, pulling his face closer to mind, stroking my wrists with his hands. I squirmed but found myself unable to move out of his tight grip and so lifted my chin so that I was looking into his eyes defiantly rather than avoiding him like a scared lamb- hoping that this would put him off. It did not. Rather I feel that it made the situation worse as he smiled and forcefully guided me to a pile of furs in the corner and pushed me down, kneeling above me. My breathing was hectic, random and I could feel a darkness creeping in from the sides of my eyes due to lack of oxygen. I was afraid, I wanted to scream but found myself unable too, I was stuck, lost, alone and completely vulnerable.

Achilles let his moist lips linger on my neck, before biting down on my ear. His hands untying my top as his body weight ensured that I could not move away from him. I refused to whimper, but I felt the tears in my eyes. Suddenly, there was a familiar voice and hands pulled Achilles off of me. I stood quickly and went to grab a blade but thought better of it, turning and leaving the tent silently, knowing that my anger would only please Achilles.

I continued walking, the tears that streamed down my face a mix of anger and fear blinding me. I knew not where I was, caring only to get away from Achilles, away from the war and most of all away from people who would judge my appearance.


	4. Chapter 4

I sat on the beach for a long time that night. I did not move when the tide came in, and the waves began lapping at me, I sat and stared out at the deep green ocean. So many thoughts began to go through my mind. Why was I here? What was my purpose…? What difference was I making in the world? I asked the usual questions that one begins to ask of the gods when we are feeling down.

It had been many hours; I could see that the sun was beginning to rise. I was numb, cold almost frozen to the bone for the past few hours I had been sitting in the rising water. I was shocked when a pair of strong hands slipped under my arms and pulled me to my feet, wrapping my body in a warm fur. I did not look up at my savior; I merely let them guide me to a safe place. I needed not to look up for I knew their smell, and knew that with them I was safe.

My clothing was wet, and I was shivering. The same kind, strong hands that had guided me to the hut undid my clothing and cast it aside, rubbing me with cloths until I was warm and dry, and then slipping a loose toga over me, guiding me to the rugs in the corner and laying me down. I lay my head upon the warm rugs and closed my eyes and the voice of my savior, my guardian spoke-

'Lay your head upon the rug Ekkaia, and try to sleep. The lustful needs of mortal man shall no longer harm you.'

I snuggled further into the blankets and rolled over to look at my old friend, and found him not there, nothing but an empty space where once the god Hephaestus had knelt and cared for me. A single tear rolled down my cheek as I longed for him to return and hold me the way that he had so many times before. I knew however, that this would not happen. He had refused to ever be unfaithful to his wife, Aphrodite, again, and so I was to live my life in Greece longing each day just to catch a sniff of his scent or a glimpse of his fine, strong figure.

When I awoke much later, I arose and changed, and regretfully left the safety of Hephaestus's lair and returned to the Greeks. When I arrived there was chaos, Myrmidons raced about hectically, the fear and confusion evident on their faces. I could hear the angry bellows of Achilles and was scared. I grabbed a near-by Myrmidon,

'What is happening?'

I asked, the man froze,

'We are no longer fighting. Achilles is mad! Agamemnon- the fool- has stolen his lover, the priestess Briseis, and Achilles is demanding her back! He will no longer fight for Agamemnon and plans to return home. Is not this good news mercenary? Now you can fight for some money if you wish. Or you can leave this cursed beach and find some better job to go on. We will leave in two days time, so that the tides and winds are with us. This war is over for us.'

The man smiled and hugged me before running off to finish packing. I realised now that Achilles' actions the night before had been because of his anger over losing Briseis. I frowned and took a deep breath before walking towards Achilles hut.

When I entered, I was shocked. Achilles had thrown much of his belongings across the hut- and there were many broken items scattered about the hut. Achilles stood with his back to the opening, his head against a pole as he attempted to calm himself. Eudorus stood a few steps back watching his leader with a clearly sympathetic face. I licked my lips, and for once found that my voice was paralyzed with fear. I must have made some strange noise because Eudorus glanced at me and smiled.

'Achilles. I will return in a moment.'

He said, his voice not giving Achilles any option but to agree. It was clear that Eudorus had taken control over the Myrmidon camp in Achilles' state of collapse.

Eudorus exited and I walked besides him, not daring to speak until he first spoke. He looked at me and his face was sad,

'I apologise on behalf of Achilles for his actions towards you. Though I do not expect you to forgive him nor do I use his intoxication as an excuse, I wish you to know that he means no harm towards you.'

I nodded, still unable to muster a voice.

'It seems that you will never get to sit out on a Myrmidon battle and watch Patroclus Kaia, for we will not fight again here at Troy.'

I closed my eyes and sighed, opening them with a smile,

'I have heard from a soldier. Is it true that Agamemnon stole Achilles' lover?'

Eudorus nodded and sighed,

'He loved her like he has never loved another. He has always had women in his bed, but this woman… It was different. I was happy that he had finally found real love- for it to be stolen away by Agamemnon, for him to have to deal with Agamemnon touching his lover… I can not imagine the pain that he is dealing with at this time now. I cannot.'

Eudorus ran a weary hand through his black hair.

'Is there anything I can do whilst you look after Achilles?'

I asked, I know not why I asked such a strange question but I did none-the-less.

'Yes. Achilles cousin Patroclus is out on the beach doing something. Go and fetch him for me?'

I nodded and turned, whistling for my horse. I did not turn but I could feel Eudorus' eyes locked on my back as if he was waiting to say something. I mounted up and glanced at him and he did not break my gaze. He opened his mouth as if about to talk and then sighed,

'Return quickly.'

He said and turned and walked back to Achilles hut.

I stared after him for a little while before riding down to the beach in search of the illusive Patroclus.


	5. Chapter 5

I reached the beach and saw the tall lone figure skimming stones across the still water. I frowned and rode towards him,

"Are you Patroclus?"

I called out to him, something about the man was strange and I could not place what it was until he turned to me and smiled- he was older than Achilles. Not a young child like I had been expected. The man in front of me was at least twenty-five years old. I stared,

'I am and who might you be?'

I caught my tongue and forced it to speak for me,

'I am Ekkaia. Eudorus sent me to fetch you.'

Patroclus nodded his head as a sign of recognition.

'You are the mercenary that was to be my guard.'

I nodded,

'I am.'

Patroclus chuckled and began walking next to me as we returned to the camp,

'I'm afraid that I do not appear as you expected me to, I apologise for the deception. Many people believe that I am a young boy, which is not the case. I am Achilles squire, I was sent to him by my father to look after the younger boy. As you can imagine he was a bit of a terror and needed constant supervision.'

I nodded; my mind was in shock,

'So why are you not allowed to fight?'

Patroclus chuckled,

'I'm afraid that Achilles has become rather fond of me and after realising that my fighting skills left much to be desired placed me on constant camp watch. The tides have turned and now he cares and looks out for me the way I used to care and look out for him.'

I nodded and examined the man, he looked nothing like Achilles. He was tall, yes, but slimmer, almost slender and graceful. His large brown eyes were kind and caring and held none of the anger and remorse that resided in Achilles blue eyes. His hair was thicker, softer and darker and his skin was more olive. I shook my head and sighed,

'You are not his cousin. You are his lover?'

I knew that this question may result in my head being removed from my body but for some odd reason I needed to know this piece of information. Patroclus looked at me surprised but nodded,

'I forget that mercenaries pick those things up… Yes, I am his lover. Although it seems that I have been rather hastily replaced by that priestess.'

I shrugged,

'That is part of love. There is always someone to be jealous of; someone who you're beloved may seem to love more than your own self. The priestess has been taken away from Achilles by Agamemnon, and now Achilles is in a rage. Eudorus sent me to fetch you no doubt so you can calm Achilles down. I'm sorry but I must take you to the camp.'

Patroclus nodded,

'It's okay Ekkaia, I understand. Lead the way.'

I nodded thankful that the man was reasonable and the pair of us returned to the campsite.

When we arrived at Achilles tent, Patroclus entered and not long after Eudorus exited. I stood outside the tent awkwardly, not knowing what to do with myself.

'Thank you Kaia, that should calm Achilles down a little at least, hopefully enough that he sees the stupidity in some of his actions.'

Eudorus began to walk and I could not help myself, I began to follow him,

'What will you do Kaia? When we leave these shores…'

I felt like he used my name as much as he possibly could, every opportunity to say his abbreviated version of my name he would, his voice taking on a strange throaty sound when he did. I shrugged,

'I have not thought on the idea. I would, ideally, like to get away from this place. This is not a battle for a mercenary like me; I am not suited to this type of war. I am keen to head west but fear that there will be a lack of jobs due to everyone being engaged here at Troy, and thus I will most likely head East once more, or maybe travel to Egypt and Africa, and then go as far south as possible. See the lands that others do not even dream of…'

Eudorus stopped and turned, staring at me confused and upset,

'And you will do all this alone? Will you live the rest of your life isolated from man kind? Alone and devoid of love and feeling? What use are these experiences if you do not allow others to get close to you and live them with you Kaia? Do not make the mistake of thinking that your life will be well lived alone… When the ages pass and your body begins to fail- who will care for you then? Do you not wish to feel the warmth of a man? To know the love of your own child? Save yourself now so that you will not regret your life when it is over. You are lucky enough to be able to choose what you want for your life! Do it right and ensure that you gain the best that you can, a lover and family, wealth and a comfortable living, the ability to see what the rest of the world holds, you have the greatest opportunity of all do not waste your years on war.'

His voice was stressed and his eyes showed his distress, I swallowed- surprised by his frantic speech and nodded slowly,

'I wish it were so simple… I fear, I fear letting anyone close to me Eudorus, I fear the pain that I will have when I lose them… I cannot bear to lose someone again. If I were to have a child I would awake every day with a nauseating fear that they were gone and I would lose my sanity. I wish with all my heart, soul and mind that I could love a man and have a family but I am too scared to let myself.'

I knew that I had feelings for Eudorus, and I hated myself for it, I hated myself more for ever entertaining the idea that he and I may have that strange normal family life, for when the idea was snatched away, I retreated further into my shell then I could ever have imagined.

'Fear? You fear love? Then you are lost Kaia, no one can help you if you yourself are afraid of the very thing that you desire. You must conquer that fear and then find yourself a nice husband. A man about your age with an established armory or smithery that would suit you well. Learn to cook and be a good wife and stop this nonsense.'

He turned, almost angrily, and left me standing in shock in the middle of the camp, ashamed that I ever believed that he had feelings of lust for me. It was pity that he felt, nothing more, just pity.

If I were more prone to tears I would have cried at this moment, but tears I feel are a waste of energy and unless necessary I will not cry. So instead I blinked away the painful burning and went in search of a new employer, now keen to end my life on that damned beach in a big fight, up to my armpits in the blood and guts of other men but as alone and isolated as I possibly could.


	6. Chapter 6

I was talking to Odysseus about whom I should work for when the scouts arrived shouting that the Trojans were galloping across the fields to attack us. The scene was chaos as all the armies of the Greeks rose and ran off to fight for their lives, terrified that they had lost a small and yet vital part of their army. I ran to the Myrmidon camp and grabbed a shield and short sword, mounting my horse and turning to fight. I was so caught up that I did not see the man to my side and did not see him grab me and pull me to the ground. I landed heavily, the wind rushing from my lungs as I lay on the hard ground and stared up at Eudorus. I frowned and pulled myself up,

'What the hell was that for?'

Eudorus shrugged,

'You're not fit to fight.'

'You're not in charge of me.'

I know that I sounded childish but the thought of him leading me on the way that he did and now daring to command me sent a hot angry chill through my entire body. Eudorus just shook his head angrily,

'For goodness sake Kaia, you're not a good enough fighter to be out there! You'll be slaughtered!'

I shook my head,

'Then you'll have one less head to worry about won't you? And I won't have to worry about living those long hard years alone because I'll be in Hades.'

Eudorus shook his head, grabbing my arms painfully and pulling me into him,

'I love my men, each and every one of them Kaia,' here he paused, he was mere inches from my face, I could feel the warmth and moistness of his breath on my skin as he spoke in a strange husky whisper, 'know that full well. I would DIE for them.' I frowned, unable to determine where he was going with his statement, 'and yet I would see them all perish in the most horrible ways to know that you were safe… To know that you were okay and that you were happy. It scares me what I would do to ensure that for you…' His eyes lost there anger and became soft, the harsh grip on my arms loosened and yet he moved closer, staring unswervingly into my eyes, searching desperately for my feelings. I froze, fear gripped me tightly.

I could hear the sounds of the battle in the background, the Myrmidons were off on the ridge watching the battle and Eudorus and I stood on the lower part of the ridge, locked together staring at the other trying to understand their thinking.

'The life I want I cannot have, and I hate you for giving me the hope that I may have it.'

I said, tears brimming my eyes- whether they were tears of anger of sorrow I know not.

'What do you mean? What hope have I destroyed?'

I, intoxicated by the adrenalin and feelings in the moment reached up and clasped the back of Eudorus' head with my right hand the other hand resting flat against his chest.

'The hope that I may live with you as your lover, that I may have the life of a mother and wife with you.'

In that moment I saw his heart break, I saw it in his eyes, his mouth wavered as he fought with his inner emotions and he fell to his knees in front of me, clasping my shirt and leaning his head against my stomach as he wept.

I felt a blush rising to my cheeks as I feared that someone would see this, and yet I could not move. I stood rooted to the spot unable to do anything. A few more tears slipped down my cheeks and I cursed my mortality and the emotions that I had as a result. Gradually I felt control of my body return and I began stroking Eudorus' head in a soothing manner, like my mother had once done to me long ago. I felt Eudorus relax his grip and I knelt before him. He hung his head and refused to look me in the eyes, so I gently raised his head so that he looked at me. His eyes were red and sore, his face splotchy from his weeping.

'I'm sorry that I did that to you Kaia, I did not mean to give you the illusion of a life with me- that is not possible.'

I closed my eyes and sighed, we both stood, hands clasped in one another's,

'Why is it not possible?'

I knew that nothing I could say would change his mind, but like a foolish young female, I needed to know. Eudorus smiled softly,

'For I am Achilles second in command, I would be gone long periods of time, and my death sometime soon is eminent. I will not make it to 40 I have no doubt. I want not to have you bring up a family alone as a widow… I cannot do that to you… I have missed my chance of happiness- I do not want to take yours away from you too.'

I bit my bottom lip and stared numbly at the ground between us, feeling like a young child- hopeless and confused.

'I want no other man. If I leave you now, I will forever grieve and bear the wound in my heart of not knowing where you are and what you are doing and knowing that you are not mine. I can come with the army, I can fix armour and make weapons, I've been well taught in blacksmithing…' I paused and took a deep breath, realising that I was acting like every stupid young woman that I so despised 'No. I will not beg nor will I give endless reasons as to why we should try this life together. That is not me… I will set up camp on the other side of the dunes; I will not search you out. I will wait there until you leave, if you wish to be with me you can come to me and I will leave with you. If you do not wish to be with me do not come and I will stay here and catch the next boat to Egypt and head south to work, and I will try my best to forget about you.'

I paused but for a moment and left him there, leading Hades behind me I mounted the dunes and disappeared out of sight to the other side.

I made myself a fire and sat before it, knees against my chest arms clasped about myself tightly. I stared into the fire, numbly not thinking about anything just staring off into the flames. It was dark and the wind was cool when I decided to sleep. I undid the leather vest and rolled onto my side, pulling my cloak about myself warmly. I waited a few moments in vain for Eudorus before falling fast asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

I awoke to the sounds of loud cheers, I groaned, my back and neck aching from the uncomfortable position that I had fallen asleep in and stood up somewhat hazily. I looked in shock at what I saw- the Myrmidons being led by Achilles himself running off to fight… I needed a better look, leaving all my gear bar a short sword on the dune I mounted Hades and galloped towards the ridge so that I may watch from there. I stared confused at the scene- Myrmidons cutting through the Trojans like they were stalks of grass making a bee-line for Hector. Finally, they made it and the two great warriors Hector and Achilles confronted each other. They moved, effortlessly in circles, pacing around each other- much of the fighting had stopped and the armies watched their saviors. I frowned- something was not right about this, something about Achilles. The armour fitted perfectly, and he moved with ease and grace but there were moments where I swore that I was not looking upon Achilles- the arrogance was gone. Suddenly it clicked in my head- it was not Achilles that was fighting it was Patroclus… A cold pit rose from the depth of my stomach and I stared in horror as Hector and Patroclus began to fight, and it was not long before Patroclus made a mistake and Hector slit his throat. A ripple went through the crowd and Hector frowned leaning forward he removed the helmet and Patroclus was revealed. I saw the shock and horror on the faces of all the Greeks, and the confusion on the Trojans. I could not hear the conversation but I have been told of what happened next,

'Who is he? To be acting as Achilles?' Hector demanded of Odysseus. The body of Patroclus was raised and taken away, I saw Eudorus fall to his knees and begin to weep. Odysseus helped him up,

'He was Patroclus, Achilles cousin. Achilles loved him dearly.'

Hector looked about in horror,

'I did not know. I thought him to be Achilles!'

Even from where I stood I could see the panic in Hector,

'So did we- it matters not. Achilles will not leave this place until Troy falls now…'

It was Eudorus who spoke, hollowly so I am told, and then the army left. I saw Eudorus pause and look to Hector-

'We were to sail home this evening…'

Then he left, a dejected figure and the fighting ceased. A cold lump formed in my throat, I galloped back to the camp, desperate to see the reaction upon Achilles after he learnt of Patroclus' death. I too felt a strange hollowness from knowing the charming, handsome young man was dead- trying to clear his lover's image.

The Myrmidons entered the camp and dropped their weapons and shields to the ground as Achilles left his tent and looked about confused. Eudorus walked around the corner and immediately Achilles was upon him,

'YOU BETRAYED MY ORDERS! YOU LEAD MY MEN INTO BATTLE WITHOUT ME!'

A swift foot caught Eudorus in the stomach, throwing the man to the ground. Achilles continued to kick and beat Eudorus until the sand was orange from the mans blood. A cold fist beat inside 

my chest as I watched this, wanting desperately to help the man I had fallen for but knowing that he did not want me, and so I stayed away. Achilles stopped and stared down at Eudorus in anger,

'My lord- I did not lead the men. I… I thought you did.'

The entire camp stopped and all turned to Achilles who froze and looked around frantically,

'Where is Patroclus?' I could hear the emotion in his voice,

'WHERE IS PATROCLUS?' Again he began to beat Eudorus, as if hurting Eudorus would bring Patroclus back. Achilles gave the crumpled figure of Eudorus one last kick before storming off to see his cousin's body. The haunted, angry cries of Achilles filled the night sky, carrying over the plain to Troy, Agamemnon shook in his tent and the Greeks mourned the loss of Achilles stability.

I stood on the ridge staring at the fallen heap of Eudorus and waited for one of the men to help him- but they did not. I waited ten minutes before I went down to him- I could not let him lie there in pain and in his own blood. Without speaking, I gently helped him up and took him up to his campsite, laying him down on a rug. I then walked off to fetch warm water and some bandages. I fetched from my baggage some herbs that stopped infection and made them into a paste- smoothing them over the large laceration where Achilles fist had split Eudorus' cheek apart. I did not speak as I washed away the blood with warm water and cleaned up Eudorus and he did not say a word to me, I was angry at this and after giving him some herbs to chew on for the pain I stood and went to leave. To my surprise I felt a hand grab onto me. I looked down and saw Eudorus, still staring ahead holding onto my arm,

'What is it?'

I knew my voice was cold but I cared not- I would not let my emotions show,

'There is a boat that leaves here tomorrow to go to Crete for some supplies- be on it.'

I snatched myself away,

'I care not for Crete. I will travel south on horseback alone. Through the lands of Troy's allies, I will continue down until I get to the crossing into Egypt. I will take that crossing and continue south- not that it is of any relevance to you sir. I trust that you feel better tomorrow- for after Achilles grief fades it will be replaced with an unmanageable anger- and you will leave here leaderless and lost and bereft of any job, one of the lone survivors of the Myrmidons…'

I turned and walked away. Mounted my horse and rode away, south towards Egypt…"

_The old woman sighed and gave a few consecutive deep, throaty coughs. She stood, shakily and waved at the people,_

'_It is time for some food and for me to rest my failing voice. Let us cook and eat and celebrate the lives that the gods have gifted us with here in Ethos…'_

_There was a cheer and a feast was set up, a little girl tugged on the old mercenaries clothing,_

'_Yes child.'_

_The mercenary's voice was softer and kinder then before,_

'_Eudorus, the story of Troy. Is that the end?'_

_The old lady smiled and reached out to pat the top of the child's head._

'_No child, there is more to the story. But I will tell that later. It is a long story, it took many years, there are days where nothing would happen and we would merely sit on the beach, I have left out those days, and am only concerning you all with the interesting bits!'_

_The child nodded, unable to comprehend that the woman before her could not see,_

'_So you didn't leave! You went back to Troy!'_

_The woman chuckled,_

'_You will see, now go and play and dance.'_

_The child sprinted off and the mercenary sighed, sinking back into her chair and thinking back to the days of Troy. _

_The granddaughter of the mercenary frowned and wiped away a tear- she knew that her grandmother had not long left to live and the hard story of her life was her last parting gift to the world. Ever a kind, and giving woman not even her own family knew of this part of her life, and it was sad to know that the strong woman had endured so much pain and hardship._


	8. Chapter 8

_After the feast the crowd came again and spread before the mercenary and once again her strong voice began telling the story of Troy. A rumor spread that her children were the sons and daughters of Eudorus and eagerly did the citizens of Ethos wait for her to begin._

"I rode for sometime across the desolate plain, I had not planned to leave until I had said to Eudorus that I would, and thus I knew that I had to go. I had no real plan and knew not where I was actually heading. It was two days later when I came across the Sardinians riders as the patrolled the land between the Greeks and there small city.

'HALT! WHO ARE YOU AND WHY DO YOU RIDE TO DARDANIA?'

Shouted one of the riders and I bowed my head in respect, for those who hail from Sardinia are a proud and strong race,

'I am Ekkaia, a mercenary from the North. I am riding south to find work.'

One of the riders chuckled,

'The war is north, why come south? You'll find more work up there!'

I nodded,

'It is not the work that I want. I was with the Greeks, but I left without my pay for I wish to have no part in this confounded, stupid war.'

The Dardanians chuckled and whispered to each other in their own strange language and a ball of unease grew in my stomach,

'We are heading north to Troy- you are coming with us mercenary.'

I groaned inwardly, I did not fancy returning to Troy,

'I beg your pardon good sirs but I must insist that north is not where I want to be right now- I'm heading to Egypt.'

The Dardanians laughed once more and surrounded me,

'No, you are coming with us to Troy.'

I sighed and dropped my head,

'If I must.'

I said, turning my horse and riding in a somewhat escorted manner to Troy where my fate awaited me.

It had been three years since the war had begun, and I was not ready for the changes that I saw in Troy. The once magnificent city had fallen into decay and despair. The citizens that once were the most beautiful and talented in the world had disappeared and the crippled and diseased lined the streets. Many battles had passed and I had fought in them all bar two and yet I had never expected the toll to be so great. I looked up and saw Helen and Paris' quarters, the large house they had built looked over all of Troy, as if taunting everyone about there magnificent life- I pondered greatly the guilt felt by the pair, if they felt any at all. The Dardanians led me into the once great war hall and I was shown before King Priam- for the six years of war the king looked worse than his city, bones jutted from a too thin frame and his eyes sat in the hollows of his skull, his thin lips were pulled over his skull and he looked more a dead man than many of the corpses on the battle field.

'Mercenary? You're still alive are you? Come back to fight with the great golden city?' The anger, remorse and disgust in his voice were highly evident. I looked about in search of his higher orders but found none, I knelt before Priam and bowed my head.

'I have come upon the request of the Dardanians to fight for Troy- and I will do so willingly and free of charge for the loss her for so small and insignificant a thing as a woman's love is… not right.'

I could think of no more eloquent way to put it, and I knew that fighting for the Trojans I would most likely die here in Troy and that was a thought that no longer worried me, for I felt cold and hollow and was bereft of any feeling for the world. I saw Priam dismount his throne and come before me, he slowly got to his knees and looked me in my eyes,

'You are a beautiful woman- you should not be a part of this war…' here he paused and took a long shaky breath, 'I have lost many sons and daughters in this war, and yet Paris and Helen are yet unharmed, how strange a fate that those who have caused the pain are free from it, they sit up in their little tower and watch us all like they are gods…' Priam looked again to me as he stood,

'I need a personal guard, if you will agree you will receive pay fitting of a guard. I need you by my side every minute of every day to save me from the assassins of GREECE! They think that once I die that TROY, mighty Troy will fall, but they are wrong, mercenary, they are wrong.'

The man was insane, I could see this clearly and I knew that nothing I could say would save me from being his guard, so I took the job and found myself living a strange life.

I was led to the armory and dressed in full Trojan attire, amazingly they had stuff that fit me, I questioned this and they merely ignored the question but a strange lump formed in my stomach about the person for whom this had been made. I then became the constant companion of King Priam…

I stood behind him as he sat at the large table in the great hall. His advisors- the few that were left- sat looking dejected as we waited for Hector to arrive. The doors swung open and Hector marched in and took his seat, and the first thing up for debate was none other than me…

'Is it safe to have a mercenary as your guard my lord? I feel that it is unwise- Hector himself saw her fall in the battle lines against us, she fought amongst the Myrmidons- how can we trust that she is not a spy?'

It was hard for me to refrain from speaking but I managed it,

'She is a mercenary not a spy you fool! Troy can offer much more in ways of life and money than the Greeks- besides, she will not be fooled by Trojans that are against me! She will suspect EVERYONE including my own.'

It was then that I realised the old kings paranoia was intense and that my role would be to try as well as I could to keep him sane in the eyes of his people. Hector snorted,

'She is nothing more than scum father, let me choose one of my own men to care for you not this vile filth of a woman.'

I felt a searing hot pain at those words but yet I found myself able to stand tall and stare ahead, like a statue.

'Shut your mouth boy- she is from a higher breed then the common mercenary, can you not see it on her face? Those high cheek bones, the intelligent eyes, now that the black ink is removed we see that she is from a high race of men from the north, no doubt the daughter of a chieftain, you know not the reasons for her choice of profession and thus I request that you keep your forked tongue between your teeth! I'll not hear your words of anger anymore!'

Hector, to my great surprise obeyed his fathers command and bowed his head in respect,

'I apologise father, I am paranoid and anxious to know that you are safe and well. Mercenary, I apologise to you also for my disrespect.'

I could not help but be shocked by this statement, kind words? I had not heard them from a Prince ever, I nodded my head to show I took his apology but still said nothing and the matter at hand changed back to the more pressing matter of war and battle.

They talked at length about different strategies and ideas and then about what Achilles was like, unfortunately, it was here that they called upon me to join their little discussion. It was Hector who brought it up,

'Mercenary, you served under him, what is he like- this Achilles man?'

I bowed my head in respect- the manners to which I grew very quickly accustomed too-

'He is a strong man and a great warrior, he is awe-inspiring and terrifying. A foul temper, the men adore him, but he is no leader. Eudorus, his second in command is the leader in the pair, he is the voice of Achilles- not loud enough, flamboyant enough nor a spectacular enough warrior to be the leader, the pair together create the greatness that is the Myrmidon army- Achilles with Eudorus' voice. I felt sick in the stomach for betraying them, but I quickly got over this, and I took quiet a fancy to Troy. Hector nodded,

'Eudorus, I know him, stout older fellow, with these strange piecing light blue eyes. He's the mastermind? I never would have guessed that, I underestimated you mercenary, you are definitely useful.'

I licked my lips,

'They don't want to be here- none of them do, bar the few blood thirsty monsters like Ajax, they are forced here by an oath they made on horseflesh to the god Zeus about protecting the sanctity of Helen's marriage to Menelaus and to Menelaus and Sparta… At the beginning this may have been fixed easily, but now there are just blood debts to be paid on both accounts, I cannot see the end of this, either every Greek on that beach will have to die or Troy will be destroyed, there is no other way to end this war.'

I knew that it was not my place but I had to say this, I'm not entirely sure why, but I did. Priam looked up at me,

'I often forget that mercenaries have quiet good minds, you are a handy person to have around.'

I nodded, and returned to my standing post and the discussion continued late into the night, though when it ended they had not made any progress on the matter other than knowing that it would end in the complete annihilation of one or both armies.


	9. Chapter 9

I will not bore you with the details of the next six years for they are not very interesting, it was not until the war was ending its 9th year that again things started to go downhill. Priam was still mourning the loss of his niece Briseis- the girl whom Achilles had fallen in love with, and Achilles was often heard yelling out horrible things to Hector in battle, but the pair never met up until this day. It was hot and the sand stung the legs of anyone who dared to walk out, and Achilles came out alone to the gate of the city. He walked straight up to the doors and began banging on them, calling out for Hector to face him one on one, like a man. Hector agreed and they both dueled.

It was a long and hard fight, and near the end you could see Hector failing, he began stumbling and tripped over on a stone, Priam clasped my arm tightly, and I bit my lip in fear for the kind young warrior. Though I knew that he would never again walk through the gates of Troy, I could feel it in the pit of my stomach, and I felt grief for his wife and child.

'GET UP! I'LL NOT HAVE A STONE CLAIM MY VICTORY.'

Achilles screamed, and Hector stood and charged one last time at Achilles. He managed to cut Achilles arm, and then Achilles thrust his sword into Hector's neck and down into his chest.

Silence spread through the entire city of Troy as Hector fell, first to his knees and then onto his front. I felt Priam go weak and turned, catching him before he fainted. I held him up and went to move him away from the wall but he urged me not to, I was confused and looked down to see Achilles tying Hector to the back of his chariot.

'FIEND! HE'S STEALING THE BODY OF MY SON!'

Priam cried out in a voice of surprising strength, I felt sick to the stomach to see Achilles began galloping his horses up and down in front of the Trojan walls, just out of reach of the arrows. Priam looked to me desperately,

'Go fetch my son's body.'

I nodded and handed him to the other guard before racing down.

I rode out to Achilles, fear in my stomach, I knew that I was likely to be skewered where I sat and was terrified of his reaction. I wore the full Trojan armor, but left my helmet inside so that Achilles could see who I was, and hoped that that knowledge would save my life.

'Achilles!'

I called out and my voice sounded much stronger than I felt, he looked to me and stopped his horses,

'What? I defeat their GREATEST warrior and they send out you mercenary?'

I nodded,

'Priam begs that you leave the body of his son here so that they may perform the necessary burial rights and burn his body'

Achilles dismounted the chariot and marched towards me, pulling me from my mount and staring down at me,

'My lover is DEAD! That man stole me lover from me mercenary, I'll not leave the body here for them to grieve, not until I hear all of Troy wailing for their savior, not until all of Troy feels the pain that I have felt!'

I looked to Achilles with pleading eyes,

'Achilles...'

His hand cut across my face and I felt the sting and almost gasped,

'Don't you talk to me mercenary; I'm taking this body as a prize. Tell the good king Priam…' his voice stung with mock 'that his son's body will take a great pleasure tonight in the place of the man whom I lost.'

I felt vomit rising in my throat but forced it down.

Achilles threw me to the ground and walked away but I rose and drew my blade,

'YOU'LL NOT TAKE HIS BODY!'

I yelled, releasing all my built up anger and emotion over Eudorus- which I had forgotten about until this moment- on Achilles. Achilles stopped and turned looking at me with amusement,

'You, you'll stay against me when the greatest Trojan just fell? I'll not give you the privilege of being killed by Achilles; I'll not let you be the martyr who tried to rescue Hector's body.'

He rushed at me and I swung at him, I felt my blade pierce his leg and he looked down in shock,

'I almost forgot that you were a mercenary and that honour was not one of your traits.'

I wrenched my blade out knowing that it would do much damage to him, he stumbled and I went for his knee but he hit me instead with the blunt of his sword across my head. I saw the world around me fade to black and collapsed unconscious on the ground.

From what I have heard, Achilles then stuck my blade into my arm, pinning me to the ground before leaving with Hector's bode still dragging behind his chariot. I failed my task and yet most of Troy saw me as a strange type of hero- purely because I feared not to stand before Achilles.


	10. Chapter 10

When I awoke I was in a dusky room and I could smell strange herbs. Although my head and arm were excruciating I stood and went in search of Priam so that I could apologise for failing. I walked into his room without knocking- that was my way, I had to stand at the door with his other guard whilst he and his assorted wives made love so I knew that nothing I would see would be shameful.

When I entered however, I found Priam talking to a man that I had not met before, that intrigued me and at the same time a great fear rose into my throat. I edged forward with my hand resting on my sword hilt. Priam turned to me and smiled,

'Ahh, mercenary, it is good to see that you are up- this is King Aenas, of the Dardanians.'

I nodded my head and purveyed the man with a expert eye- he was handsome, more handsome than all the men in Troy, with large brown eyes and a mop of dark brown hair and delicious bronze skin, he smiled and bowed his head,

'Respect to the great mercenary who confronted Achilles.'

I shrugged,

'I was merely doing my job good King. I apologise for not getting the body.'

I said this last part to Priam, who sighed,

'You tried your best my dear and that is all that I can ask. Aenas is my brother's son, and was Hector's cousin. He came as soon as he heard of Hector's unfortunate death at the hands of that brute Achilles.'

I frowned,

'Begging your pardon sir, but how long have I been unconscious?'

Priam chuckled,

'Only a day and a night, Aenas' city is half a day's ride away, I sent messengers immediately. I must thank you mercenary, you have become a truly brave and loyal Trojan.'

I started at this statement- he had just called me a Trojan. I could not help but show my surprise and I stuttered a response,

'Err, thank you my king.' I did that accidentally, calling him my king, but it seemed to help the situation none-the-less, for Priam gave a small smile,

'You have been of more help to me than any of my own, bar Hector.'

I felt cold at this praise, although it was true, the life that I had lived at Troy was more like an honest soldier than any life I'd ever lived before, on the few hours that I had free a week I sat at the bar in the inn and talked or helped to teach the women on how to defend themselves. I had truly become a Trojan- barring of course my bloodlines. I bowed my head; manners, respect and good faith were now traits that I had accomplished as well,

'It is a privilege to be with you and your people my king. I thank you greatly for the chance that you have given me here in Troy.'

I saw Aenas' large smile out of the corner of my eye and I stood up as Priam walked forward and clasped me to his chest closely, I froze for a moment before embracing the man back, it was a strange custom that the Southerners had to always embrace each other I had noted long ago.

When we parted I looked around and noticed that Enchies, the other body guard was not present. I frowned,

'My king you are alone in here? Where is Enchies?'

Priam chuckled,

'My army grows weak and thin my dear, Enchies has been let go and is now serving in the front lines. As are all the palace guards bar yourself.'

I stared in shock; I knew that now I was considered one of the highest soldiers in Troy and the thought terrified me,

'Thank you my king.'

I muttered and stood to the side whilst Priam continued to talk to Aenas,

'What we must do is run the Greeks into the sea, but we've not enough men! I thought after a few months that they would run out of food but they haven't! I fear that sooner or later Troy's armies will be no longer and there will be no one left to save Troy! Aenas, I must ask for you advice on this matter now that my son has been taken from me… I need a man of your capability to take over my army. I understand that you must look after your own city, but I know not else what to do! Of all my sons and daughters so few have survived, none with the mind to rule my land! Paris is the eldest but I would not have him in charge of anything in this war for it is because he could not control his feelings of lust that we are in this problem in the first place!'

Aenas nodded and bowed his head,

'The Greeks have not touched my city so far Uncle, and I fear what my involvement will mean for my city.'

I looked up,

'The Greeks that take over Troy will force you into a submissive state of servants after they have defeated Troy, much like they have done to other neighboring cities that do not come to the aide of their attacked friends.'

Aenas turned and looked me in the eyes and I felt a slight tingle rush through my body at his closeness and I damned my natural human emotions,

'Do you know this for a fact mercenary, have you heard it with your own ears? Or are you merely speculating on something that you know very little about?'

Although he had spoken to me in a way so as to negate my idea his voice held neither anger nor aggression and I felt no fear or shame at what I had said.

'I have heard Achilles and Odysseus mention it over dinner on many occasions, they ponder about whom would rule Troy in Agamemnon's stead and on what Agamemnon would do with the Dardanians.'

Aenas shook his head,

'My city is empty now in any case. I sent my people into the mountains some 8 years ago when the Greeks began to move south a little, all that my city holds now is a few ragged soldiers and farmers with no families. I wish that my father were still capable of ruling so that I may leave him in his city and help out Troy, but I sent him away to the mountains not last spring. I know 

not what to do, in fact I came here to Troy to seek your advice in my matter Uncle, though it seems we both need something from the other that is not available.'

Priam nodded,

'Abandon Dardania and bring your men here to Troy, the city will be fine if you close it up properly, and help me flush out the Greeks once and for all, and then the light and happiness will once again return to your good city.'

I was standing at the window at this stage, staring out the window and thinking about how much I had changed since the beginning of the war. When I had arrived I had been but twenty-two years of age, now I was almost thirty-one. I had hated the Trojans with a passion, Priam especially, and now I loved them all like family, and Priam was like a father to me. No longer was I naïve and foolish and emotionally unstable, rather now I was strong and hard a perfect guard. I glanced over my shoulder to purvey Aenas, he would have been young at the start of the war, and I saw him to be about my own age. I sighed and looked back out across the plains and for the first time in many years I thought about Eudorus and what he would have been up to now, almost 44 years of age. I sighed and shook my head, wondering if he even was still alive. I was so caught up in my daydream that I did not hear Aenas address me,

'Mercenary! I asked you a question!'

I jolted out of my day dream and snapped round,

'Sorry, what was it?'

He laughed and smiled and I felt my knees go weak like a young girls, I was thirty and though there were a few Captains with whom I was 'good friends' I still had not found a man who I loved as much as I had loved Eudorus or my betrothed all those years ago.

'What do you think on the matter? Should I bring my men here to Troy and leave my city locked up, will it be safe?'

I shrugged,

'There is no guarantee that it will not be touched Aenas, but I feel that the Greeks are too caught up in Troy to bother with Dardania.'

Aenas tilted his head sideways as if to try and see me better and I frowned,

'What is it?'

I asked hollowly, worried about what was coming next, but Aenas merely nodded and turned back to his Uncle,

'I see what you mean uncle. I really do. I am tired from my journey and am going to rest; I will see you at dinner uncle with my decision.'

Priam nodded, the pair embraced and Aenas left. I frowned and looked at Priam,

'Don't ask my dear, don't ask.'

Priam said before I could open my mouth.


	11. Chapter 11

We stood in silence for a few moments before Priam spoke up,

'I have a plan my dear, and I hope that you will help me to carry it out.'

I felt a cold dread at these words and yet I nodded numbly and Priam sat down, I sat next to him and his plan was revealed.

'I am going to go out to the Greek camp tonight, after dinner and ask Achilles for Hector's body back. No one else is to know about this and I want you to accompany me there.'

A strange protective feeling arose in my gut,

'Of course my king.'

Priam smiled,

'It is strange- to me you are like a son, only that you are a daughter. I want you to be happy my dear and I'm upset by the fact that you have no-one. No husband or family to care for you, you're life revolves around me, and your few free moments you give freely to the people of this city to help them… I know that you keep little of your pay, and that much of it is given to those less fortunate and that you keep barely enough to keep you happy. I want to know that you are living a happy life here in Troy.'

I smiled at him and put my hand on his shoulder,

'I think of Troy as my home my king, and I would ask for my life to be no other way.'

Priam smiled,

'It makes me very happy to hear that my dear, now come, we have a meal to attend to.'

As the dinner drew to a close Priam looked to Aenas,

'Have you come to a conclusion about what you are doing?'

I looked to Aenas and he nodded his head in respect,

'I will return to my city and then bring back the few that are still there. They will then return here to serve your army, and I would be glad to take the place of the leader of your army should you still like to allow me…'

Priam grinned and stood up, clapping his hands together,

'I am glad to hear that you have made that decision. I am very glad indeed. But I am an old man and I am tired, and thus I bid you all goodnight.'

And in that one sentence my stomach twisted into knots and I felt my fear envelope my body- we were going to the Greek camp… I was to look after Priam and ensure that he did not get killed.

We walked into the stables, dressed in cloaks and I bared my face,

'A horse and chariot good sir, and hurry.'

And in no time we were galloping across the plains towards the Myrmidons.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twenty- A Familiar Face**

As we rode into the Myrmidon camp, a man that I had long thought dead stepped out in front of our chariot.

'HALT WHO ENTERS THE MYRMIDON CAMP IN A TROJAN CHARIOT?'

I stared in shock at the man that I had fallen for all those years ago… The years had not been kind to him, his eyes had sunken into his skull and the bags under his eyes made him look haunted and lifeless. Slowly, I removed my cloak hood so that he may see who I was.

'Eudorus?' I asked, my voice a shaky whisper. My body was numb, and my tongue felt like a ton of weights. I saw the shock in Eudorus' eyes,

'Kaia...' He walked forward to the chariot- shock on his face. I could see the tears in his eyes and I felt a burning desire in my chest and I knew that I still had not recovered over my feelings for him. I knew that Priam was next to me but I needed to talk to Eudorus,

'How are you?' I could not think of anything more to say, but Eudorus smiled and embraced me heartily and I could feel the tears rolling down his cheeks, and I began to cry too, holding him to me tightly and relishing the fact that he was still there, I pulled back and smiled at him. Priam coughed and I remembered my place,

'Oh, of course good King, my apologies. Eudorus- Priam must talk to Achilles about Hector's body… It is not fair,' Eudorus looked to the hooded figure in the chariot in shock,

'You are working for the Trojans?' I nodded,

'I am Priam's bodyguard.' He stared in shock and bowed his head,

'Follow me,' I nodded, and helped Priam from the chariot.

When we reached Achilles tent Priam grabbed my arm, 'I will do this alone.' And with that he left me and Eudorus outside alone.

We stood in silence, staring at each other in silence then all of a sudden Eudorus grabbed me and began kissing me, I wrapped my arms around him and began kissing him back and he lifted me up. He carried me towards a tent that I had never seen before. I looked around confused and he smiled,

'This is my tent.' I smiled and laughed and began undoing his armour and he laughed aloud,

'Do we really have time for this?' He asked, holding me at arms length, I shrugged and looked at him with devotion,

'I do not really care what time we have Eudorus, I just want this, I want to be with you, I cannot help myself, I need you and I think that you want me too…'

Eudorus smiled and kissed me once more,

'Of course I want you, but it is more than that. I do not just want you tonight Kaia, I want you every night… Besides, I have not done this in a very long time and I am not sure if I want to do this now knowing that you will leave in a few minutes.' I stared in horror at this statement, knowing that unfortunately he was right in what he was saying and I hated it,

'Then let us at least have this one moment together, so that we do not regret what we have missed.' He looked at me with a strange look in his eyes and stroked my hair,

'You have changed a lot over the past nine years…' And in that moment I knew that he would not take me to his bed that night- for he knew not the person I had become. I stepped back and nodded, looking down at my hands in shame for how I had acted.

As I stood back my head cleared, free of its overriding lustful ideas and I jumped back in fear realising that I had left Priam- the King of Troy and enemy of Achilles alone with the great warrior himself. I stared at Eudorus, horrified that he had tricked me,

'Priam…' I said it in no more of a whisper and went to flee but Eudorus grabbed me,

'Achilles will do the old fool no harm.'

I snatched myself out of his grip,

'Fool? He's more a man and mind than any Greek king bar Odysseus.'

I snapped, surprised at how protective I had become, Eudorus stood back and looked at me confused,

'You really have become loyal to the Trojan's have you not? What have they offered you that hold you so tightly in their sway? Gold? Horses? Lovers???'

He said the last one in a hoarse and pained voice, before he shook his head and turned his back to me and I stared at him in disgust,

'Why must you assume that my life is so continually absorbed in bettering myself financially and socially? I left a high up place with lots of gold in order to become what I am today- once the Greeks' leave these shores I will continue on my way in search of more jobs. It is the freedom and lack of ties that hold me captivated and in love with the mercenary's life… Nothing more Eudorus, and certainly the promise of lovers would not persuade me on any account to do anything, not when I have no capacity to love left for anyone else bar you...'

The words were out of my mouth before I realised what I had said and I froze in shock. I saw the look of confusion on Eudorus' face and I looked away. When I looked back I saw sadness on his face and I almost began to weep.

'I-I wish that you had not fallen for me so deeply Kaia- I am not a man that you should be with, you deserve better.'

I looked at him confused,

'You are kind, courteous, intelligent, and loyal. You would never touch another woman; very few men can claim that trait.'

Eudorus shook his head and looked at me in despair,

'I am old. I am riddled with injuries both physical and mental. I wake up in cold sweats screaming because of what I have done. I am cold, not loving. I am rude, rash and abrupt not courteous and my mind is so overcome with nightmares and disease that the intelligence is no longer there.'

I stared at him at shock and shook my head.

'You have demons, any soldier who is as old as you would have demons. I care not for the demons nor your age Eudorus- to me you are those things and that is all that matters. The problem is not that, well, it is not with you that the problem lies. The problem lies with me, and whether you will put up with my demons and problems.'

I took a deep breath, about to release the problems that I pretended to not have,

'I am stubborn, I am hideously pig-headed, and I am rude, obnoxious and think that the sun shines out of my own arse. I have trouble committing; I get scared by the prospect of settling down. The idea of losing any of my senses or of becoming old scares me to death… I have no idea whether I will be able to live with you as your lover, but I want to try. I am selfish, I will always want to have it my own way, I have many demons and problems too, perhaps that is why we should be together…'

Eudorus nodded and smiled,

'I want to be with you, I see not those problems in you.'

I nodded and smiled and sighed, realising that it would not work. I shrugged,

'I must stay with the Trojan's during this war Eudorus, I know not how long that it will last, it has already been nigh on nine years since you Greeks landed here… How much longer will the bloodshed go on? We know not, without that knowledge we can have no relationship with each other. I am loyal to the Trojans, I am by Priam's side every hour of every day, it is not until this war is over that we have time for each other, and by that time, perhaps, neither one of us will still be living… This, us, is a fairytale… Aphrodite has played her foul tricks on us and we have fallen prey...'

I heard Priam exit Achilles tent and I knew that I must leave Eudorus once more,

'I must go now. Forget about this, we never existed and will not be together ever. Goodbye Eudorus…'

I turned and rushed out before Eudorus could speak and saw Priam with who I assumed was Briseis and Achilles lifting a covered body onto the back of the chariot.

'Come mercenary, we must leave. There are fifteen days of rest before this war is to resume.'

I nodded solemnly and mounted the chariot, racing away as fast as the horse could run, leaving behind in the dust any chance of returning to Eudorus.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen- A Giant Horse**

The next fifteen days were filled with much grief and sorrow. Many tears were shed for the fallen Trojan warrior and so when the peace broke on the fifteenth day, many were not ready for the attack of the Greeks, and to our great surprise, the attack never came, the day passed to night, and the night to another until scouts were sent to discover what was happening. They returned and dragged Priam to the Greek camp.

Many men lay dead on the ground, all bar a few ships had disappeared and not a single live Greek stood on the beach. A large horse made from the wood of the ships sat in the mess left by the Greeks- a giant offering to the gods. I walked towards the dead bodies and poked them- a plague had taken them. I drew back and put a cloth over Priam's mouth and told him so,

"What shall we do with this horse?" Priam asked in awe of the giant monument, I shrugged,

"Burn it." One of his advisors scoffed,

"Nonsense, burn this signifier of our victory? Your thoughts are daft mercenary. We should drag it into our city! To celebrate around the statue!" I growled,

"It may contain some of the plague in its damp wood!" Paris joined in,

"I agree, we should burn it! We need no statue to celebrate around we have Athena and Zeus!" Priam waved his hand in a silencing gesture,

"We shall bring it into the city and celebrate around it then, on the final day we shall burn it!" He smiled and patted the wood,

"Fetch men!" I groaned and looked up,

"It is too high my lord. It will not fit beneath our great gates." Priam shrugged,

"Take the top of the gate down then, so that it will fit." He turned and walked away, now that the Greeks had left he had decided that he needed me no longer. I frowned,

"He means to pull down the walls that kept him safe?" I muttered annoyed at his stupidity and kicked the horse, sending a sharp pain up my leg. "Damn it."

I turned grumpily, and marched away in search of Priam, to buy my freedom.

I found Priam in his large foyer organizing the festival. I leant against the wall with my arms crossed and watched him come to life as he planned the festival that marked his defeat over the great Greek empire. A smile crossed my face and for all my life I could not wipe it from my features, suddenly a person appeared next to me, it was Aeneas, he smiled at me before joining my position on the wall.

'I am returning to Dardania.' He stated with that smooth voice that made all the women swoon,

'Really? You are not staying for the festivities?' I asked back, finding that after seeing Eudorus I no longer was taken by the flashy King. He shook his head,

'No, my people have hid in the mountains long enough, it is time they returned to the halls of their home…' he paused and sighed, 'whilst Priam may not realize I know that you do not intend to stay here in Troy, I would like it if- on your way south, you stopped by Dardania I have a few things that I would like you to do for me, I pay well." He laughed here and I bowed my head in thanks,

'If I pass by that way, I will definitely stop by, you are a great King Aeneas, one of few.' He took my hand firmly and we hugged, before he kissed my cheek and strode over to Priam and bid his farewells before leaving the room.

I waited a little longer until Priam noticed me standing nearby,

'Mercenary! Come here!' He commanded with a laugh, I walked over and he hugged me tightly.

'Good king, I am leaving Troy, I have come to bid you farewell.' I found myself remarkably caught up with the thought of leaving the city that I had defended for almost ten years, and yet I knew in my heart, that I was ready to move on to another stage in my life, away from Troy and away from the horrible memories that haunted me here.

Eudorus, I had only just seen him, and now he and the Greeks had fled back across the Aegean to Greece…I wished desperately that I could see him now that the war was over, hold him tightly to my body and never let him go again- but I knew that it was not going to happen, I could- it was true- journey to his homeland in an attempt to find him but I felt that that would be desperate and knew that in all reality, Eudorus would probably have retired and fled…

'You cannot leave already! Not before all the festivities! I need to give you thanks for what you have done for Troy, what you have done for me.' I smiled at the old man and hugged him,

'Okay, I will stay for the festivities, but after that I must leave- mercenaries do not do well in stone walls when there is peace.' Priam nodded and hugged me once more,

'Here, this is 100 gold coins, I want you to head into town and get the most amazing gown that you can possible buy, actually here is 300, go on, I want to see you dressed up and happy tonight whilst you enjoy our victory with us here in the golden city.' I laughed and nodded before walking out into the streets of Troy and heading to Helen's own dressmaker, before organizing a new gown to be made for me before that night's feast, and then I went in search of a new pair of dress sandals.

The gown I ended up with was a dark emerald green, with golden rope as the two straps for the sleeves, it plunged to my navel with another golden rope keeping my breasts covered, and it fell to the ground in the most amazing sweeping folds and was the most beautiful gown I had ever seen. My hair had grown very long over my time in Troy and I let the dress maker wash and twist it into gentle curls that fell about my face to my shoulders, as I examined my reflection in the mirror I was amazed at how beautiful I was and it made me sad to know that there was no man interested in me in Troy, and I was almost 32, past the age of any woman who could have children to be still unmarried and childless. The average age is about 60, as you know, and I was terrified that myself I would not live far past 40, and thus no child would ever grace me with its love. I pushed these thoughts aside and went to the feast and celebrated and drank and ate along with the Trojans.

After the festivities had ended and all the citizens had gone to sleep and the few guards were sent to the walls in case there were any rogue Greeks left on the plains I began to stroll around Troy, saying farewell in the peaceful quiet of the night. I ran my hand along the large stone walls and took deep breaths of the still, cold night air and finally I wandered into the large centre field where the large horse stood, streamers and ribbons hanging from it and the remains of the feast littered the ground in place of the heartache and wounded that had previously lain on the ground.

I ran my hand along the wood of the horse remembering Eudorus and the taste of his lips on my own and wrapped my arms around my waist in an attempt to fight back the hollow longing in my stomach. Suddenly there was a noise from above me, I turned and glanced up and the wooden horse began opening up, Odysseus dropped from the horse and landed in front of me and grabbed me, sword in his hand aimed at my throat. I could tell that he did not recognize me and I do not blame him, it had been almost ten years, I managed to speak,

"Odysseus, it's me, the mercenary who fought for Achilles." Odysseus stared at me long and hard, trying to decipher if I was who I claimed to be, finally he realized it was me and smiled,

'Mercenary! I know that you fight for the Trojans and that you are Priam's guard but Troy is lost, do yourself a favor, grab your horse and leave, Troy is about to burn.' A knot formed in my stomach and I shook my head,

'I can't do that Odysseus,' he frowned and shifted the sword in his hand, he turned his head over his shoulder slightly,

'Okay Ekkaia, then I will have to put you out of this fight.' He went at me with the blunt of his sword and I unarmed fought him off, he was obviously surprised at my skill but none-the-less my elaborate gown was my down fall and soon enough he hit me in the temple with the butt of his sword and I collapsed in a heap unconscious…

When I awoke the smell of smoke filled my nostrils and I began coughing and flaying only to have a pair of strong arms held me into a solid body.

'Hush Kaia, hush, there is nothing that can be done now, the battle is over, and Troy has lost.' I struggled some more and eventually the figure let me go and I stumbled forward and glanced around terrified- I was outside the city, my horse standing beside me, I was confused and displaced and knew not what was happening so I stumbled forward some more towards the burning remains of the golden city. I gasped and fell to my knees in horror at the sight of babies being cast from the walls only to smash onto the hard ground below. I shouted in contempt and began running but again hands wrapped around my waist and lifted me from the ground, I fought with all my passion but the person would not let me go, he held me tightly and began stroking my hair, whispering comforting words into my ear. I buried my head into the warm chest and clutched the figure tightly, trying hard to block out the sounds of the dying babies and the screaming mothers.

'Agamemnon is a pig' Eudorus stated as he lifted me onto my horses back and pulled himself up behind me and held me tightly as he urged Hades to take us away from the flames and the death.

We rode for a while, I was confused and thus cannot tell you how long we rode or how far away we went but I know that the sun was rising the next day when Eudorus stopped the horse and dismounted, helping me down with him, holding me tightly to him as tears rolled down his aged face. I held him tightly and we cried for some time over everything. Finally we stopped and I looked up at Eudorus and smiled; however, he did not smile back.

'What is it Eudorus?' I asked quietly, he sniffed,

'Achilles- Paris killed him.' I stared in shock as the words sunk in,

'Paris? How the hell did Paris kill him?' Eudorus sniffed,

'He had one weak spot, his heel; Paris tried to shot him in the neck and got his heel… Killing him.' I stroked Eudorus' knee gently squeezing it gently, 'I'm fine Kaia, just in shock…' I nodded and sniffed realizing that Priam was no doubt dead; he was old- I told myself to reassure that I was not worried, and then I thought that he would most likely have been looking for me to come and protect him when he died and I became distressed. Eudorus did not ask why, but he held me to his chest and stroked my hair.

Finally I came to terms with my grief and smiled at Eudorus and stroked his face in amazement with the fact that he was there with me,

'I've missed you so much.' I whispered surprised at how hoarse my voice was, he grinned at me and nodded,

'I've missed you too.' I smiled at him and kissed his lips softly, he smiled and kissed me back, I ignored everything except for Eudorus. He ran his hands through my hair; his breath was hot on my neck as he began kissing down my neck towards my chest…"

_Ekkaia paused in her recitation and coughed before continuing,_

"We made love there on the dune, and then lay in each other's arms beneath Eudorus' cloak whilst we listened to the Greeks take over Troy and begin making plans to leave. I was happy and content for the first time in ages, with nothing lying on the beach with Eudorus…


End file.
